GEZI PARK PROTESTS IN TERMS OF CONTINUITY AND BREAK THEORIES

Abstract

After 1970s, presentation of practices created by neoliberal period in the name of globalization has caused that forms of social opposition called as "new social movements". Theorists of new social movements tried to explain this opposition movements and forms of experiencing the democratic processes of these movements with different perspectives. At the end of the 1960s, a group of social scientists who claimed that movements based on social classes decreased its impact, points out that there is a significant "break" between old and new movements. On the other hand, another approach related to new social movements emphasizes that there is "continuity" between old and new movements. The subject of this study is to analyze Gezi Park Protests in framework of two theories. Gezi Park Protests, took place in summer of 2013, is one of the most important social opposition movements of Turkish political history, has taken attention of many domestic and foreign social scientists in respect of new social movements. Social scientists have different arguments with the concern of analyzing that kind of rare social opposition movement for Turkish political history correctly. Diversity of action in Gezi Park Protests, form of protests and diversity of participants create a dilemma whether this protests should be evaluated as break theory or continuity theory in new social movement literature. For this purpose in this study, on which arguments social scientists writing about "Gezi Park Protests" categorized that protests as break or continuity theories, is going to be examined. The first implication of many social scientists and experts about Gezi Park Protests is that this movement is significantly different than old social movements based on social classes in terms of identities of participants, expressions and action style. However, when this sequence of actions is analyzed more comprehensively in political and cultural dimension, it is seen obviously as a reflection of neoliberal economy policies. The first reason relies upon Gezi Park Protests is creation of neoliberal restructuring policies to promise the wealth of Turkey at the expense of deepening the social contradictions since 2000s. In the words of Althusser, whether economy is the final one determines the upper structure, the reason of Gezi Park Protests is class conflicts deepening by these neoliberal economy policies. In this context, to analyze Gezi Park Protests in framework of continuity approach leads more comprehensive implications with more dimensional societal reality.